The Tree of Memories
by Abah
Summary: The sapling grows with and within you. Would you ever dare to cut what has been a major part of your life? Even when you realise that you had no emotions?
1. The Tree

The automated xylophone chants a haunting tune as the guitar overlays the xylophone. The song itself, in general, is so depressing that it resembles Angela's presence. Amelie strum a series of chords as Sombra plays the piano beautifully, accompanying the guitar and the electronic xylophone. The room stood emotionless and lonely, without Angela's warmth, it is nothing more than a vacant beehive. A tree made of papers, hopes, dreams, and memories began to crumble to pieces. The photographs, the places they visit, now serves as their sole memento of what becomes the remains of their long lasting friendship. They met for the first time in Annecy, and Annecy feels so alive when Angela is around them. A dim light covers the whole room, accompanied by a candelabra, a small chandelier, and five candlesticks put in every corner of the chamber. Ever since Angela joined Talon, every mission feels so alive and easier to do, and a higher paycheck is more than a reality. Two glasses and a bottle of wine standing still on the table. Fresh from the Vineyard, still cold and haven't dropped any cold sweat made of ice.

Amelie asked. "Sombra, one thing I didn't expect from you is how you could play the piano so beautifully while your job is hacking industries?"

Sombra smiled. "It's a matter of time, _mi Amor_. I hack thing by occupation, but it doesn't hold me to learn something else."

Amelie sighed and stood up, putting her guitar on the bed. "Very well, then. I was once a ballet dancer, and I learn guitar in between my performance. So, that makes sense to me," she then did a ponytail. "Anyway, I'm out for snacks, want to join?"

Sombra frowned. "Snacks? It's like..." she looked up at her watch. "three in the morning."

Amelie smiled. "There's no time limit for a snack, _Mon Ami,_ " she put on her overcoat and her boots. "Do you want something to eat, Sombra?"

Sombra said. "Give me two _crepes_ and some _baguette_ , and a jar of peanut butter."

"Got it." Amelie nodded and walked out to search for Sombra's midnight snack.

Sombra tapped Amelie's shoulder. "You can have my soda if you feel thirsty."

" _Merci beaucoup,_ Sombra. You know what's best for me." Amelie kissed her Mexican girlfriend.

The door slowly closed and off Amelie went to the nearest city park for _crepes._ Amelie walks the empty street with hope for a better, long lasting friendship between the three of them. Amelie, Angela, and Sombra - all together again like they used to hang out.

" _Excuzes-moi, Monsieur_. Three _crepes,_ please." Amelie ordered.

"Ame! Long time I didn't see you and your friends. Where have you been?" the seller asked.

"Well, we're busy doing our job, most of the time," Amelie replied. "And we have no time to hang out like we used to."

The seller said. "The usual?"

Amelie nodded while she browses her phone for Angela's pictures and the memories she carried.

"Is that Angela?" The seller asked. "I haven't seen her for a while, where'd she go, now?"

With regret, Amelie said. "Well, _Monsieur_ seller, she is married, now," she continued. "It's hard for three of us to maintain contact, either for me, Sombra or Angela. We have our job and life, and it seems she will out of reach for a long time."

The seller nodded and continued baking the _crepes_ , not wanting to ruin Amelie's mood. The sellercooked faster than usual; it took no longer than seven minutes to get the whole order finished. Amelie paid for the _crepes_ and went back to their dorm room immediately. Amelie opened the door slowly with three warm pancakes and one jar of peanut butter in her pocket, and it's fit.

"What took you so long, Amelie?" Sombra asked.

"You know the guy who sells this on the corner of the street that likes to hear about us?"

Sombra nodded while getting her _crepes._ "He's quite a stalker, but you can kill him if you want."

Amelie sits down with Sombra across their Tree of Our Friendship, written in French, German, and Spanish respectively. "He mentioned that Angela is married."

Frowned in disbelieve. "What?"

"Yeah, he said that."

Sombra ate the _crepes_ and shared her soda with Amelie. "If people got double dates..."

"... why don't we get triple marriage?" Amelie continued while gulping down the soda.

Sombra nodded. "Yeah, that's right..." Sombra frowned. "That's supposed to be my line, Amelie."

Amelie smiled and drift off to a peaceful sleep in Sombra's arms. "And she did a pretty neat drawing of us too."

"True that," Sombra said. "Can't argue with it."

 _You cheeky French always know how to make a person blush._


	2. A Day in the Life - Amelie Lacroix

Amongst thousands of books, archives, and documentations of history, Amelie found tranquillity in letters. No matter how long or short it is, a message is a written form of longing somebody that sits beside you every day. Ups and downs encountered like a knight to a dragon. Sombra, accompanying her could only re-read previous cyber attacks on many old newspapers, it is more than a privilege for her to re-discover everything she learned when she was a young girl. Amelie's brain never meant for literature or writings, she could calculate, but writing poetry and word making is out of her league. Amelie picks three books regarding how to write a letter in before her age and many literary wonders stored within the library. Amelie slowly opens the book and brought a pen to mark any unusual words for enriching her vocabulary. For an emotionless killer like her, to admire and adore a piece of literature is quite a pill to swallow.

Sombra sat beside her. "You're such a beauty when you're reading a book," she continued. "I think I'm going to ship you with someone."

Amelie puts down her book. "Don't you dare to ship me with anyone."

Sombra didn't know that Amelie wears a pair of glasses when it comes to reading a book. Her ponytail, her exasperated face, her glasses - it all looks like a young librarian tending to their books. A nerd, preferably to say.

" _Mi Amor..._ why you're so beautiful?" Sombra asked.

"I am a woman. Thus, I am beautiful." Amelie smiled as she continues to browse the book for brewing her message. "You need to learn more about your "predecessors," Sombra." She bent over and kissed Sombra on the cheeks. " _Cherie,_ you're always a beautiful woman to me," she puts back the book to find another one. "Please do not blush in the library."

Although in her mid-thirties, Amelie still wants to learn everything. She wasn't the youngest Talon member, and life isn't much better either. Having arachnophobia for the rest of her childhood and bad influence from her father, Amelie now known as Widowmaker, a name taken from a spider species, the Black Widow or maybe because of her murdering her husband, so she's a widower? Only Amelie knows. She once observes a set of hidden camera videos that Sombra hacked for Talon, even before Talon recognise them. She clicked on a folder titled "Avenue de la Bourdonnais, September." There she saw her past, with her husband, holding hands together on the streets of Paris, hanging out in the cake shop.

She let out that thought to swarm over her again, she couldn't do that again to herself. What matters most is now she needs to reconstruct her destroyed life to a better future. She browses more books to find another set of words for her vocabulary while Sombra is sleeping on the desk, playing games on her smartphone.

" _Hermana_ , what do you think of Gabe?" Sombra asked while hacking a game on her smartphone.

"He's just jealous about that fellow who took his position in Overwatch. A lifetime revenge, to be exact." Amelie replied while opening a few pages on the old book.

"So, how you grow hair that long? Is there any tips for me if I want to do the same?" Sombra changed the topic while combing it with her hands.

Amelie force closed the book and put it beside her. "Sombra, why you always changed the subject of our conversation?"

Sombra puts her phone on the desk and shrugged. "I don't know," she grabbed it back again and played it as usual. "I just like to change subjects on conversation, why is it matter to you, Ame?"

Amelie deepens her tone. "It's infuriating," she conceded. "Well, it's a free world, right? I shouldn't care about that."

She turned her body around and said. "Well, it's hard when you're not the one who invades," her tone faints and almost can't be heard. "So, how's that letter you're working?"

"I have collected several words for it and maybe I can teach myself a thing or two about writing."

Sombra softly kissed her Spider. "Good luck, I hope she replies."

Amelie replied Sombra's kiss. "Thanks, _Mon Ami_. Let's hope she'll notice us."


End file.
